Memories
by Erased In Flame
Summary: He was alive. Shepard had returned to her, after all of this time that she'd been without him, her suffering was finally over. But something was different about him. Something had changed. Something that would alter her relationship with Shepard for the rest of her life... Oneshot.


**Alright, this is just a what-if kind of thing that I've been wanting to do for a while, now. Shepard and Tali fell in love aboard the first Normandy, but as you know, Shepard was killed, leaving Tali alone forever. But, two years later, she found him on Freedom's Progress, and this is what happened. Please read and review; Enjoy!**

* * *

Empty. Just like all of the other buildings.

Like Lawson said, there were no signs of battle or conflict. Only belongings that were strewn about randomly. Like everyone dropped everything and left.

The building they had entered resembled some kind of medical room, or residential building. There were bunk beds lined up on the left side of the wall. Hospitals didn't have bunk-beds. This _was _a house. It was somewhat unsettling. To see this whole place, a whole colony, deserted. A ghost town. A chill went up Shepard's spine as a creature bellowed in the distance.

Whatever happened here was grim. And horrid. He could only imagine what the last victims had seen before... whatever happened to them. If those victims even had a chance to _see_ what was going on.

Jacob Taylor continued to curse at the console at the wall, which remained defiant to his every hacking attempt.

"Leave it alone, Jacob. It's a safe."

He huffed as his arms fell to his side. "I'm usually good at these kinds of things. I didn't go through all that tech training in the Alliance for nothing."

Miranda's expression maintained its disconcerting quality. "You couldn't crack an eggshell."

Jacob chuckled lightly, despite Miranda's cold sincerity.

"Come on.", Shepard ordered. "We're not gonna find anything in here."

The trio crept out of the building, weapons at shoulder-length in anticipation of more rogue mechs. Or worse. Adjacent to the house was another building, a patio linking the staircase and the door of it.

Stealing a glimpse behind him, the two Cerberus operatives nodded their readiness.

Shepard tapped a button on the door panel, the plates retracting to allow them inside.

* * *

The door slid open, making Tali jump in surprise. Prazza and his squad immediately stood, their weapons pointed directly at the three humans that had entered.

"Stop right there!", Prazza demanded.

As the humans rose their weapons, Tali sensed that the situation was close to becoming a firefight. She had to restrain her teammates before someone got hurt.

"Prazza!", Tali reprimanded him as she rushed to stand between the humans and her team. "You said you'd let me handle this."

Frustration bolted through Tali's veins as she turned to face...

No.

No.

No!

How?!

It can't...!

There, in front of her, in the flesh, stood Commander Shepard. Her captain. Her friend. Her lover.

Her breath left her as she struggled to find the bravery to muster the first thing that came to mind.

How is he here?! He was dead!

Had he been alive all this time? And he didn't tell her?

The frustration that she'd abandoned just seconds ago returned, transforming into boiling anger.

But her love overpowered her rage. She nearly leaped into Shepard's arms. She felt as if the universe had turned on a light for her. Like her suffering was over. Her lover had come back. The man she would have never dreamed to leave. She'd never imagined herself being happy with anyone else other than him. There was always that hole in her heart that could never be filled again.

But here he was, in her arms. He'd come back to her. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she felt the heat in her chest rising.

She thought she'd never feel that ever again.

No strong, large arms greeted her back like she suspected. The familiar weight of his body was absent from her own. She glanced upwards to see, indeed, Shepard, but with a look of surprise and bewilderment on his face.

What was wrong with him?

"Shepard...?"

His face only became more confused at her.

Why was he acting so strange? Doesn't he remember? How could he forget?

"Shepard?", Tali breathed again, releasing her grip on his thorax. He sheepishly turned to the woman behind him, as if trying to get an answer out of her.

Meeting Shepard's glance, she spoke. "Tali'Zorah Vas Neema. She was on your team on the first Normandy. Don't you remember?"

_Yes, Shepard. Don't you remember? How could you not? How could you forget the times we had? The laughs we shared? The love we gave to each other...?_

His face, still puzzled as it was before, became a sympathetic frown. "I'm sorry, Miss Zorah. I don't think I remember you."

Again, Tali's heart was ripped to shreds. Her chest became hollow, and she felt the first, forceful waves of sorrow beginning to pound her bosom.

Tears flowed over her face once more as she attempted to jog his memory. "Shepard. It's me, Tali. Please! Don't you remember me? Don't you remember what we had, what we felt for each other? How can you not remember any of it? It's me, Tali! Shepard, p-please!"

His face became as sympathetic as it would ever be as he shook his head gently. But it wouldn't fix it. It wouldn't fix anything.

"Shepard! Please!", Tali bellowed, sobs beginning to hinder her speech. "We... We were so close! I loved you! Please! I love you!"

Still, Shepard's demeanor was apologetic. "I'm sorry.", he muttered.

Her legs gave way under her, and she dropped to the floor on her knees, feeling blades upon blades slicing and destroying her heart. It didn't even feel like anything anymore. It just felt like a dark, painful abyss of agony. Never to be filled again.

Flames engulfed her entire world as more hot tears welled in her eyes. A lull in her anguish allowed her catch something that the human woman was saying to Shepard.

"Some of your memory must not have been fully recovered when we rebuilt you. You seem to remember everyone but her. It's strange..."

Strange... It was more than strange. It was endless of pit of heartbreak. It was the end of Tali's emotional range. She felt cold, alone. She'd never love again. It just hurts too much.

How could she rekindle a relationship with someone who doesn't even remember who she was? She noticed Shepard and the two humans walking past her gingerly.

She watched him as he left her. Left her life forever. Left their love to die right in front of her. Again, she twisted around, head in her hands. She sobbed, and her heart continued to ache and whither and die from within her.

How would she ever live without him? How could she deal with herself when he was alive, but he was no longer hers? It hurt more than anything. She hadn't felt this much sorrow since her mother died. And even then, it wasn't as severe as this.

She'd never be the same without him. The only thing she could do was sit, cry, and suffer, as she'd done since his death two years ago.

It wasn't really Shepard. It couldn't be. The man she'd loved is still dead, resting eternally among the rubble of the destroyed Normandy, wherever that was.

The tears, the pain didn't stop.

She didn't think it ever would.


End file.
